In many applications, it is necessary to mount electrical cables to terminals or connector housings and to seal the connection against environmental contaminants, such as moisture, dust, etc. To this end so-called single wire seals are known in the art, which are arranged onto the cable sheath and which provide a seal between the cable and inner walls of the terminal or the connector housing.
A typical prior art document dealing with elastic single wire seals is U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,533. This document discloses a waterproof plug for a connector. The waterproof plug comprises a rubber plug having an outer tube portion capable of fitting to an inner wall of a connector housing, a stabilizing tube rigidity mounted next to the outer tube portion of said rubber plug, and an electric wire inserting hole in the central portion thereof. A further typical prior art document dealing with elastic single wire seals is German Patent No. DE19828482 A1. This document discloses a single wire seal for sealing a gap between a conductor and a connector housing. A reinforcement region is joined to a sealing region of a sealing body. Further, reinforcement ribs are connected on a first side to a hollow cylindrical base of the reinforcement region, and on an adjacent second side to a sealing lip.
Lateral compression of the seal is necessary for forming a seal between the wire cable and the connector housing. However, such a cable seal can also be longitudinally compressed causing unwanted movement of the terminal in the connector housing that can cause intermittent electrical disconnection and/or fretting corrosion of the terminal. Therefore, a cable seal that reduces or eliminates longitudinal compression while still allowing lateral compression remains desired.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.